Real People on the First Christmas

Have you ever stopped to think for a minute about how the Christmas story happened to real people like you and me?  We’ve all heard the story many times.  Mary is betrothed to Joseph and Caesar has ordered a census.  Now Joseph and the very pregnant Mary are trudging toward Bethlehem to be counted and taxed.  They are exhausted, tired and just looking for a place to sleep.  The innkeeper has no room but offers the stable to sleep in.  Joseph and Mary turn aside to the stable and stop for the night.  So it is that Mary gives birth to the Savior of the word in a stable, among the smell and sound of the animals.  She wraps Him in cloths and lays Him in one of the animal’s feeding troughs for a bed.  The shepherds watching their sheep are divinely interrupted by an angel and told about this miraculous birth. 

So, there is it is, one of the most awesome events in all history happening to normal people like you and I.  I wonder which character in the story you would be if you were there.  What if you were the shepherds?  Would you be excited about the news or angry your day was interrupted?  Would you even bother to go find the Savior?  All of us have these moments where God tries to break in and share Himself with us but the response is ours to control.  We can ignore Him or take what He says as the truth.  Which is your response tonight?

What if you were Joseph and your fiancé turned up pregnant?  Would you even have the fortitude not to disgrace your fiancé publicly but divorce her quietly or would you demand your rights and let happen what may?  After all there is only one way she could become pregnant, right?  God has a way of taking what we know and turning it on its head.  But, like He did with Joseph, He asks us not to be afraid and trust in Him.  Are you trusting in Him tonight?

How did Joseph feel knowing he had to settle for his wife giving birth in a stable?  I’m quite sure Joseph wanted a nice, warm, clean, comfortable room with a bed for his wife to give birth in, but it didn’t happen that way.  Did he feel like a failure?  Did he question his ability to provide?  Maybe you find yourself in Joseph’s shoes tonight.  Will you trust God to provide for your needs, even if it doesn’t look like it is happening the way you wanted? 

What if you were Caesar busy giving orders and thinking of all your tax money coming in when God is trying breaking through?  Are you completely unaware of what God is trying to accomplish in the earth?  In you?  Will you let Him breakthrough into your life tonight?

Perhaps you feel like King Herod.  Are you worried what will happen if you let Him take His rightful place?  Are you worried He will take control?  Will you lose the power you have over people if you let Him have His place?  He is asking for His rightful place in your heart tonight?  Only one of you can be in control.  Will it be you or will you let God in?

May I suggest you become like Mary?  Consider her place in the story.  She is an average person like you.  But God calls her highly favored.  God says He is with her.  At first this greatly troubles her, but she is told not to be afraid.  You have found favor with God.  Not because of anything you have done but because of whom God is.  God is with us.  This is the message of Christmas.  God sent His Son, Jesus to be born, to live and to die for you, a ransom for your sin, so you could be adopted into His family.  God gave you His Son, His best, the thing that cost Him the most, something He loves very much.  God was thinking about you when He chose to give you Jesus.  This gift of Jesus is just the right size, just the right color, just the right shape, its exactly what you wanted, even if it wasn’t on your list.  The Christmas Story is about God giving you His Son so your sin could be forgiven and you could become part of His family.  But you must choose to believe in Him – to receive Him as your own.  Mary made the choice saying “May it be to me as you have said.”  She received the gift God wanted to give her – His Son.  Tonight He is offering you the same gift – His Son.  God is offering you a future and a hope through His Son, Jesus.  He is offering a future filled with His Presence, filled with truth and simple trust in Him, a future full of hope – a place in His family, a place of significance, a place of love unending, a place for all eternity in heaven with Him.  He is offering freedom from fear, provision for life, the source of truth that can be fully trusted.  He is offering to take control.  Will you receive Him and follow Him or will you turn Him away?  Hope is within your grasp; just fully turn yourself over to Him. 

God Disciplines Us

"…the Lord disciplines those he loves..." – Hebrews 12:6

We have this idea, and well we should, that God is good.  He embodies goodness.  Everything He thinks is good.  Everything He does is good.  God is good!  We also have another idea, and we should not, that the Christian life is easy and if we are experiencing hardship that it automatically means we are not in the will of God, have some hidden sin in our lives, or God is judging us.  While any of these may be the reason for our hardship, it is not necessarily so.  Here is the rub, what seems good to us and what is good to God are sometimes two different things.  “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways’ declares the Lord.  ‘As the heavens are higher that the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” (Isa 55:8-9).  Let us consider Job, a man whom God calls, “blameless and upright a man who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8).

Now Job was, by God’s own admission, a man who followed after God.  One day Satan comes to the Lord and God asks Satan if he has considered Job.  Satan responds that Job’s life is going well for him and God has put a hedge around him, his household, and all he has and God has also blessed the work of his hands and prospered him.  Satan challenges God to “…stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely cure you to your face.” (v11).  To which the Lord replies, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” (v12).  So Satan strips Job of 500 yoke of oxen plowing and 500 donkeys grazing and the servants with them through an attack from his enemies.   Before this servant who escaped can finish delivering the message another appears with the message that his 7,000 sheep and servants were burned up by the fire of God which fell from the sky.  Before this servant, again the sole survivor, could finish his message another appeared saying 3,000 camels were carried off an all the servants put to death by a raiding party.  While he was still speaking another servant, yet again the only survivor, relays the message that his 7 sons and 3 daughters were all killed when the house they were in collapsed from the wind.  In short, most all of what Job has is devastated in a matter of minutes.  Job tears his robe and shaves his head and falls down to the ground in worship saying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”  Satan returned to the Lord and God asks him if he has considered Job who “…still maintains his integrity though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”  (2:3).  Satan responds that Job will give all he has for his life and if God were to stretch out His hand and strike his flesh Job would surely curse God to His face.  God tells Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.” (v6).  Satan then afflicts Job with painful sores from foot to head.  Job’s wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity?  Curse God and die!” (v8).  Job replies, “You are talking like a foolish woman.  Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”  (v10).  Scripture tells us, “In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”  (v10).

Job wrestles with the fundamental question, “How can God be good if He has allowed this to happen to me?”  The answer, I believe, lies in the all-knowing wisdom of God.  What looks good to us (a peaceful and financially prosperous life) is not always what is good for us.  God cares more about our character and who we are becoming than He does about how peaceful and financially prosperous we are, unless by prosperous you mean spiritually prosperous.  God uses adversity to help shape our character and to remind us we are dependent on Him for all our needs.  He uses it to build up our faith.  We have a choice in the middle of adversity: have faith in God or question God.  God does not guarantee we will understand everything He does, but He does guarantee us that He is good (1 Chr 16:34, Ps 25:7, 34:8, 100:5, 145:9, Nahum 1:7).  While we would never wish hardship on people, we know that God uses all things in our lives no matter where they came from (Rom 8:28) and He will accomplish His will no matter what comes.

Here is the point: God does not guarantee us a trouble-free life if we follow him.  Scripture tells us in 2 Tim 3:12, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”  Now if we are experiencing hardship, we must ask God to help us discern the source.  There are several possibilities here:¹  1. We live in a sin-scarred world were bad things happen to good people.  2. As a consequence of our own sin.  3. As a result of the Satan’s work.  4.  Persecution from non-believers.  5.  We are sharing in Christ’s suffering 1 Pet 2:20-21.  6. God is using our hardship to discipline and grow us.  7. God is using persecution to further His message (consider Christ and the martyrs Heb12:3).  If we are experiencing hardship because of sin, repent.  If we are experiencing hardship because of Satan and/or non-believers or a sin-scarred world, we can pray for God’s deliverance while asking Him if this is ours to endure.  If we are experiencing hardship and believe it to be His permissive will allowing it, then we know He is treating us as sons and daughters using adversity to strengthen our faith in Him.  Read 1 Peter 1:3-9.  Now let’s look at Hebrews 12:5-11:

5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

God is always at work in the middle of your hardship.  He uses all things for the good of those who love Him (Rom 8:28).  Note not all things come from Him, but He uses them in our lives anyway.  What an awesome God!  Think of Paul in prison, beaten, stoned and left for dead, but He knew that He was in the will of God.  Think of Joseph sold into slavery and in prison wondering about if God’s dream would ever come to be.  But what they meant for evil God used for good (Gen 50:20).  I’ll bet there were moments of question in the middle of the hardship, though.  Think of  Moses, David, the prophets, the disciples – Scripture is filled with people who endured hardship and found the blessing of God.

When hardship hits here are some pointers for how to respond:² 1. Believe God cares for you deeply (Rom 8:37-39, Ps 23).  2. Turn to God in prayer and seek His face (Ps 27, 40, 130).  3. Expect God to give you the grace necessary (1 Cor 10:13, 2 Cor 12:7-10).  4. Read the Word of God, especially Psalms of comfort (Ps 11, 16, 23, 27, 40, 46, 61, 91, 121, 125, 138). 5. Ask God for discernment through prayer, Scripture, Holy Spirit’s voice, and advice from a mature believer.

Lord God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, help us in our adversity.  Help us know we are your children and you are our all-powerful God.  Help us to know how you are using these times in our lives.  We look to you for our answer even if the way out is through.  Comfort us and help us grow into the mature followers you desire us to be.  Help us to hold fast to you no matter what comes our way.  We choose to put our hope, trust, and faith in You, even if we don’t understand why we find ourselves in the circumstances of our lives.  You are the awesome, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, gracious, merciful, just, and loving God.  We trust in You!

Amen!

Footnotes

¹ Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. "The Suffering of the Righteous." Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. 720-722. Print.

 ² Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. "The Suffering of the Righteous." Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. 720-722. Print.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

The Holy Spirit is Our Helper

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor

 to be with you forever—the Spirit of Truth." – John 14:16-17

The Holy Spirit is our helper.  Sounds like something you would hear as a small child in Sunday School.  And yet we find ourselves striving to live out our Christianity, often in our own strength.  But this is not the way God planned it to be.  We are to live out our Christianity through His strength and by His power.

Let’s look at the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives.  First He gives us new birth into the Kingdom of God.  “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but Spirit gives birth to Spirit.’” – John 3:5-6.  He baptizes us into the body of Christ.  “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—where Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” – 1 Cor 12:13.  “And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” – Rom 8:9.

Next after we are born of the Spirit, our spirit bears witness for us that we are Children of God.  “Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  For you did not receive a spirit that make you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.  And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” – Rom 8:13-17  “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ – Gal 4:6

He convicts of sin.  “Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you: but if I go, I will send him to you.  When He comes he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” – John 16:7-8

The Holy Spirit seals us.  “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to   the praise of his glory.” Eph 1:13-14.  “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with who you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Eph 4:30.

He gives us power to mortify the flesh. ¹  “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires…You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you…Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.  For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” – Rom 8:5, 9, 12-15.  “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Gal 5:16.

The Holy Spirit brings forth fruit in our lives.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” – Gal 5:22. 

The Holy Spirit gives gifts (1 Cor 12:7-11; 1 Pet 4:10-11).  He baptizes (John 1:33; Acts 11:16) and infills believes, giving them power for service.  “Instead be filled with the Spirit.” – Eph 5:18

He makes His home in us.  “Those who obey His [Jesus’] commands live in him, and He in them.  And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” – 1 John 3:24.  “We know that we live in him [Jesus] and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.” – John 4:13

In short, the Holy Spirit lives in us and if we have been baptized in the Holy Spirit (I.E. we have given Him permission to work in our lives), then He will give us power over our flesh (the same power He used to raise Christ from the dead – Eph 1:18-21), witness to us that we are now part of the family of God, work His character in us as His fruit, give us gifts to use for His Kingdom.

God has given you the best He has to offer.  He has given Himself to come and live in you and help you live out His Kingdom in your life.  He has empowered you with His Spirit – Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent God living in you.  He sanctifies you, develops His character (His fruit) in you.  He gives you significance and purpose.  He gives you gifts to use for His glory.  He invites you into His family.  He gives you HIMSELF as your inheritance.  Now if the Holy Spirit is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance, then who could imagine the actual inheritance (Eph 1:13-14)?

Father, help us to avail ourselves of all you offer through the Holy Spirit.  We accept our place as children.  We accept your power at work within us.  Teach us to appropriate all that you have promised.  Perfect your character in us and help us to use Your gifts to further Your Kingdom.  Let us be found in you.  In Jesus Name,  Amen.

Footnotes

¹ Duffield, Guy P., and N. M. Van Cleave. Foundations of Pentecostal Theology. Los Angeles: L.I.F.E. Bible College, 1983. Print. p 279.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. "The Work of the Holy Spirit." Chart. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. 1831-1833. Print.

Duffield, Guy P., and N. M. Van Cleave. Foundations of Pentecostal Theology. Los Angeles: L.I.F.E. Bible College, 1983. Print.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

God Rewards You

"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy,

 and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is,

there your heart will be also." – Matthew 6:20-21

God rewards obedience.  It is a simple truth, however, one I sometimes struggle to believe.  Now one step further…God commands us to lay up reward in heaven.  Here it is:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." – Matthew 6:19-21

Here are a couple of observations about these verses.  It is a command, not an option.  You are storing up treasure.  The question is: Where?  There are two places we can store up our treasure: heaven or earth.  Earth’s treasures can be removed from us.  Heaven’s treasures appear to have a more permanent nature.  Where the focus of your treasure is (heaven or earth), your heart is there also.  Jesus makes this last point very clear with the following scripture just a few verses later (v24):

“No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money.” 

Perhaps this is why Jesus says it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven (Rich Young Ruler - Mt 19:16-29, Mk 10:17-30, Lk 18:18-30).  Now the interesting thing is when Jesus says these things.  They are from the Sermon on the Mount, which Jesus starts with the Beatitudes (Blessed are the…for…).  Notice this is a reward for the state these people are keeping themselves in or finding themselves in.  The poor in spirit receive the kingdom of heaven; those who mourn, comfort; the pure in heart see God.  Those who are persecuted because of righteousness receive the kingdom of heaven, and not only that, but when they are mistreated because of Jesus, they are to “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” (Mt 5:12)

The Greek word used here for reward is ‘misthos’.  Strong’s tells us this word means “pay for service” and is translated as “hire, reward, wages”.  Thayer gives us the following meanings: “dues paid for work” and “reward: used of the fruit naturally resulting from toils and endeavours”.  God considers your reward a payment for the service you have rendered Him.  Struggling with that idea, I was too, but consider the following.  Jesus goes on later in the sermon to encourage the people to “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them.  If you do you will have no reward [misthos] from your Father in heaven.” (Mt 6:1)  He goes on to say when you give to the poor to not announce it or you will have received your reward [mythos] in full (v2).  However if you give in secret, “Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward [apodidomi] you.”  Here is a new Greek word for reward.  Strong’s tells us this Greek word, “apodidomi” means “to give over or to give back”.  Thayer reveals even more depth of meaning “ 1) to deliver, to give away for one’s own profit what is one’s own, to sell 2) to pay off, discharge what is due (a debt, wages, tribute, taxes, produce due) 3) to give back, restore 4) to requite, recompense in a good or a bad sense”. 

The Father is rewarding you for your giving.  He is delivering payment, discharging your wages, recompensing you as He sees fit.  Out of His unfathomable goodness, He is choosing to reward your giving.  Now Jesus repeats this type of statement again concerning prayer (vs 5-6) and fasting (vs  16-18).  It is exactly on the heels of this that He gives us the scriptures about storing up for yourselves treasure in heaven.  Jesus tells us later in His ministry that when He returns, He will “reward each person according to what he has done.” (Mt 16:27)  He reminds us when He comes He will separate the sheep from the goats and to the sheep (those who know Him), He will say “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take you inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Mt 25:31-46) and they will ask when did we see you a stranger or sick or in prison and he will answer “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (See also, Mk 9:41, Lk 6:35).  Paul even commanded slaves to work with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord as they serve their masters for they will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward (Col 3:22-25).

The Amplified Bible gives us the following rendering of Heb 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him.  For whoever would come near to God must (necessarily) believe that God exists and that He is the Rewarder [misthapodotes] of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him (out).”¹  Here is another Greek word which names God as “the Rewarder.”  Strongs tells us this word means a “remunerator or rewarder.”  What’s interesting is this work is made up of a form misthos and apodidomi put together.  It is the only time this word is found in the Bible used of a person. ²   The form of misthos used to make up this word is misthoo meaning “to let out for wages, to hire.”  So the picture is of God, the Rewarder who pays back your wages in return.  Now remember we are saved by faith (not works), however “We are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph 2:8-10)

Footnotes

¹ "Hebrews 11:6." The Comparative Study Bible: a Parallel Bible Presenting the New International Version, New American Standard  Bible, Amplified Bible, King James Version. Grand Rapids, Mich., U.S.A.: Zondervan, 1984. Print.

² Wilkinson, Bruce, and David Kopp. A Life God Rewards. Sisters, Or.: Multnomah, 2002. Print. P 42.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan 2003

Amplified Bible.  "Hebrews 11:6." The Comparative Study Bible: a Parallel Bible Presenting the New International Version, New American Standard Bible, Amplified Bible, King James Version. Grand Rapids, Mich., U.S.A.: Zondervan, 1984. Print.

Strong’s and Thayer’s definitions from Meyers, Rick. E-Sword. Computer software. E-SWORD the Sword of the LORD with an Electronic Edge. Vers. 9.0.3. Web. <http://www.e-sword.net/>.

Worship is Obedience

"If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching" – John 14:23

Last time we looked at how worship is reverence and service.  We spent most of the time looking at reverence.  Now let’s study up on service.  So look with me, if you will, to the Garden of Eden.  A man and a woman are in perfect communion with God.  And what is the one condition of this communion?  What is the one thing that could maintain this relationship?  What is the one requirement?  Obedience.  Obedience to one, simple command “you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”  Mankind has one, simple rule.  It’s not complicated.  It’s not difficult to decipher.  It’s not hard to understand.  Just don’t eat from the tree, the specific tree—you  know—the one in the middle of the Garden.  Yeah that one, right over there. 

We all know the story.  Satan deceives Eve into doubt and disbelief and disobedience with one phrase  “Did God really say…”  If only she wouldn’t have…  Now, before you pickup stones, remember “…whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10)  Okay, we’re all guilty,  put the stones down,  go ahead,  it’s alright,  God will be the judge.  God will be the judge…and He will be the sacrifice for your sin…and He will be the One extending forgiveness and mercy.

OK, so no big deal right?  WRONG!  Obedience is central to the very core of Christianity.  “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” (Rom 5:19)  Adam’s sin condemned mankind and Jesus’ obedience provided salvation for it.

Jesus is spending the last time He has alone with His disciples before He “humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8) and what is He sharing with them?  “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.  My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.  He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.” (John 14:23-24) He is sharing the importance of obedience.

He goes on to picture the vine and the branches.  What is the life blood of the vine?  Love.  How do we know we are remaining in the vine?  Obedience.  He shows us His love, and our response should be to obey Him.  “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love…I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.” (John 15:10-14)

What is His joy in us and our joy complete if not the reward of obedience?  Let us obey for the joy His Spirit will give to us.  Let us obey because we feel loved.  And because we love, let us obey.  Remember the greatest commandment?  “Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deut 6:5; Matt 22:37)  God promises to be our God and we must understand “…he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.” (Deut 7:9)  Love and obedience these are the core of God’s expectations of us.  Love is shown or proven by obedience (John 14:15, 21, 23-24; 15:10; I John 2:3-6; 3:22-24; 5:3; 2 John 6; Rev 12:14).  Obedience requires us to love (Deut 6:5; Matt 22:37).  All the law and the prophets hang on loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself (Matt 22:40) and there is no commandment greater than these (Mark 12:31).  “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands.  As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” (2 John 6)  “This is love for God: to obey his commands…” (1 John 5:3).

“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.  He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” (John 14:21)  As Andrew Murray points out in his book “The School of Obedience,”

“Read Deuteronomy, with all Moses spoke in sight of the land, and you will find there is no book of the Bible which uses the word 'obey' so frequently, or speaks so much of the blessing obedience will assuredly bring. The whole is summed up in the words (11:27),

“'I set before you a blessing if ye obey, a curse in ye will not obey.'

“Yes, 'A BLESSING IF YE OBEY'! that is the key-note of the blessed life. Canaan, just like Paradise and Heaven, can be the place of blessing as it is the place of obedience. Would God we might take it in! Do beware only of praying only for a blessing. Let us care for the obedience, God will care for the blessing. Let my one thought as a Christian be, how I can obey and please my God perfectly.”

Our loving heavenly Father, we pray you would help us to obey.  Send your Spirit as you promised and wrought within us the power to obey.  Strengthen our minds, sharpen our will, focus our attention, captivate our hearts until we are so in love with you that obedience is the natural free-flowing expression of our love for you. Help us to obey for the pleasure of loving you and becoming like you.  Help our willing spirit overcome our weak flesh.  Let us learn, we pray, the joy and the blessing of obedience.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

Worship is Reverence and Service

"All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the LORD your God, and serve him only.' " – Matt 4:9-10

Let’s take a look at the New Testament words for worship.  We looked briefly in on these last month, however they bear the weight of expressing what God Himself means by worship, so a closer look is worth our time and effort.  A couple of the main words used in the New Testament for worship are Proskuneo and Latreuo.

Proskuneo means “to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence, by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication.”¹  One scholar summarizes the meaning as “bow down before someone you revere and kiss the ground.” ² Another suggests the meaning “to prostrate oneself in token of reverence.” ³  This side of worship is where we arrive at the ideas awe, reverence, and wonderment of God for who He is and what He has done.  We sense God is and who He is and we worship Him.

Matthew 2:11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

Matthew 8:2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "LORD, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

Matthew 9:18 While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live."

Matthew 14:33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

John 4:24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

Revelation 19:4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: "Amen, Hallelujah!"

From the birth of Christ to His throne in the new Jerusalem, people were and are falling down, bowing before God to worship Him.  Jesus walks on the water and those in the boat worship Him.  The leper in need of healing worships Him.  The ruler whose daughter has died comes and worships Him.  They are showing reverence to Him.  They are acknowledging He is the only one who can help them.  The Samaritan woman at the well learns from Jesus that true worshipers worship in spirit and in truth.  She learns He is the Messiah. 

Latreuo means “to serve, to perform sacred services, to offer gifts, to worship God in the observance of the rites instituted for his worship.”⁴  Latreuo carries the idea of general, even bodily service “in far more comprehensive sense than that of slavery.” Like being a cup-bearer where your body is used for the king or even in the sense that bodily preparations must be made for service.⁵   

Romans 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Luke 2:37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

Romans 1:9 God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you

Revelation 7:19 Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them

Matt 4:9-10 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship [Proskuneo] me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship [Proskuneo]  the LORD your God, and serve [Latreuo]  him only.' "

Latreuo carries the comprehensive idea of service.  Serving by prayer and fasting, setting apart even our actions to God that our bodies themselves may be holy (set apart for Him).  If Proskuneo is the sense of God, then Latreuo is the service of God.  True worship must be “in spirit and truth, spirit providing the inner energy and feeling, truth providing the outward conformity and boundaries.”⁶  Mary can be seen as a brilliant example of this kind of worshipper.  Mary is seen consistently at the feet of Jesus – a true worshipper.  She sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said (Luke 10:39).  She got up quickly and went to Him and fell at His feet saying “Lord, if you had been here, my brother [Lazarus] would not have died” (John 11:29, 32).  Again we see Mary at the feet of Jesus weeping over His feet, wiping His feet with her hair, pouring a pint pure nard (very expensive perfume) on His feet and again wiping them with her hair (Matt 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, Luke 7:36-50; John 12:1-8).  Mary understood what it meant to worship Jesus, to proskuneo (to sense, to reverence, to fall at His feet) and latreuo (to serve, to wipe His feet, to offer something of high personal value to Him, to serve with her body). “You cannot serve Him unless you sense Him in your life.  It will be a mockery.  And if you just sense Him without serving Him, you are not worshipping Him.  If you serve Him without sensing Him, it will be drudgery.”⁷

Footnotes

¹ Thayer, Joseph. "Proskuneo." Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Hendrickson, 1996.

² Zacharias, Ravi. “Let My People Think.”  Podcast. “Leadership Seminar Workshop.” http://www.rzim.org/resources/listen/letmypeoplethink.aspx.  22 July 2009.

³ Tenny, Merrill C. "Worship." The Zondervan Pictoral Encyclopedia of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Regency, 1975. Print.

⁴ Thayer, Joseph. "Latreuo." Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Hendrickson, 1996.

⁵ Tenny.

⁶ Zacharias.

⁷ Zacharias.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

Our Primary Duty is Worship

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” – Romans 12:1

When we think of worship, we have a tendency to think of the songs we sing during the worship portion of the Sunday morning service.  This is what we commonly refer to as ‘worship.’  However, the Scripture portrays a much wider definition than a few songs sung once a week.  Romans 12:1 states, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”   The words act of worship here are really only one Greek word – latreia.  Latreia is defined by Thayer as “1) service rendered for hire 2) the service and worship of God according to the requirements of the Levitical law 3) to perform sacred services.” ¹ 

This helps our understanding immensely.  An act of worship is a service rendered to God, a service which is done in holy and sacrificial manner.   The implication is that our lives are the sacrifice and service God desires.  All that we do is to be our worship unto Him.  There is to be no separation between the holy and unholy in our lives.  All that we do should be a holy, pleasing sacrifice to God.  As Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to god the Father through Him.”  Again in 1 Corinthians 10:31 Paul affirms, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”  This reminds me of the Westminster Catechism’s answer to the question “What is the Chief aim of man? The Chief aim of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”²  Here is the essence of worship.  Continual acts of worship, acts of service, devoted to God.

Author and Apologist Ravi Zacharias gives the following definition for worship:

“Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God: the quickening of conscience by His holiness, nourishment of mind by His truth, purifying of imagination by His beauty, opening of the heart to His love, submission of the will to His purpose,  all this gathered up in adoration is the greatest of human expressions.” ³

So we come to see worship is a lifestyle not a thirty-minute once a week church experience.  Worship encompasses the way we live our lives and should influence the why behind what we do.  Worship is the motive for our actions.  “For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be the glory forever!  Amen.” – Romans 11:36 

The same root word meaning serve is used in Luke 4:7-8 where Satan was trying tempt Jesus, “‘So if you worship me, it will all be yours.’  Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”’”  The word Worship here means to bow down and kiss the ground before someone.^{4 & 5}   So we have two different ideas here, honor (reverence and awe) and service.  When we understand who God is (eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, transcendent, merciful, loving, gracious, just, etc) and what He has done for us (redemption, salvation, forgivness,  sanctification, love, joy, peace, etc) then the honor and service of Him should become our way of life.  This reverential honor and service become the basis for a lifestyle of worship – continual acts of worship.  While we do the laundry, make the bed, deliver the product, make the widget, meet with the boss, eat, mow the lawn, all we do becomes an opportunity to serve and honor God.  It is our inner attitude that makes the difference.  “If my life is not consistent with my actions on Sunday morning then I am not worshipping.  Worship is an entire life focus uniting every aspect of life with meaning.  Worship service on Sunday morning is the point to which all of my life converges and the fount from which all of my life emerges.  Two hundred people are not coming to the sanctuary to worship, but two hundred sanctuaries are coming to the building to join together in corporate worship.” ⁶  What we have been doing all week prepares us to come together on Sunday and join together in worship to Almighty God. 

Lord, help us not to just worship, but to be worshippers in all that we do!

Footnotes

¹ Thayer, Joseph. "Latreia." Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Hendrickson, 1996.

² "Westminster Shorter Catechism." Web. 18 May 2010. <http://www.reformed.org/documents/WSC.html>.

³ Zacharias, Ravi. “Let My People Think.”  Podcast. “Leadership Seminar Workshop.” http://www.rzim.org/resources/listen/letmypeoplethink.aspx.  22 July 2009.

⁴ Zacharias, Ravi.  Ibid.

⁵ Thayer, Joseph. "Proskuneō." Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Hendrickson, 1996.

⁶ Zacharias, Ravi. “Let My People Think.”  Podcast. “Leadership Seminar Workshop.” http://www.rzim.org/resources/listen/letmypeoplethink.aspx.  22 July 2009.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

God Wants Us to Love Our Enemies

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” 1 Chron 16:34

Western society is very analytical or deductive.  We build our thoughts and state our case precept upon precept, premise and deduction.  If A + B = C, then C – B =A and C – A = B.  This is to assume A = A and B = B and C = C, that is, they are constants.  Humans are not constants, they are variables, and human behavior is highly variable.  We do things for many reasons.  Sometimes we do things we don’t want to do because we are tired, worn-out, stressed, emotionally drained, over-excited, emotionally needy or emotionally super-charged.  Sometimes we are not even totally sure why we did something.  Yet we analyze the behavior and speech of others as if we were the sole arbitrator of what it really means, whether the author meant it that way or not.  Human nature has a predisposition to judge things.

On the surface this appears to be a good thing and certainly the Scriptures tell us to be wise about our situations (Matt 10:16; Heb 5:12-14).  However, it is all too easy for the judge to become overly critical.  John Maxwell points out that we judge others by how we perceive their actions, but we judge ourselves by our intent.¹  And there lies the rub, how could you possibly know another’s intent?  Jesus tells us in the sermon on the plain,

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expect-ing to get anything back.  Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.  Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Luke 6:35-38

This is a tall order, and the passage above is just after the notorious passages “do good to those who hate you” and “bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” and “turn the other cheek” and “takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.”  And perhaps the most renowned, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”  (See Luke 6:27-31.)  But it is possibly the next few verses which illuminate these passages with dazzling clarity. 

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' do that.  And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full.

Luke 6:32-34

Jesus is telling us He wants us to do better than an eye for an eye (Matt 5:38-48).  He wants us to love our enemies.  He wants us not to judge others, for with the same measure we judge others with we will be judged ourselves (Matt 7:1-2).  He continues on in both Matthew and Luke to speak about the speck in our brother’s and the plank in our own.  Luke also records the blind leading the blind and both falling into a pit (see Luke 7:39-40, Matt 7:3-6; 15:10-20).  Think of it as the judgment trap.  You judge others and then you fall into the same pit.  The point is that no one but Jesus ever lived up to God’s holy standard, so when we apply this standard against our brother or sister (or enemy), we are setting ourselves up on a plain equal with God.  Remember this was Lucifer’s original sin.  Freedom lies in suspending what we believe is our right to judge.  Freedom lies in allowing the only true judge to extend us mercy at the same time as He extends (and expects us to extend) mercy to our enemies.  Let us not despise the goodness of God which draws men to repentance (Rom 2:4).  We must observer God is, again, not asking us to do for others what he has not already done for us.  We were His enemies when He decided to love us (Rom 5:10; Col 1:21)!

Footnotes

¹ Maxwell, John C. Winning with People: Discover the People Principles That Work for You Every Time. Nashville, Tenn.: Nelson, 2004. 71. Print.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

God Wants Us Not to Judge

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” Matt 7:1

Humans are not constants, they are variables, and human behavior is highly variable.  We do things for many reasons.  Sometimes we do things we don’t want to do (or wouldn’t normally do) because we are tired, worn-out, stressed, emotionally drained, over-excited, emotionally needy or emotionally super-charged.  Sometimes we are not even totally sure why we did something.  Yet we analyze the behavior and speech of others as if we were the sole arbitrator of what it really means, whether the author meant it that way or not.  Human nature has a predisposition to judge things.

On the surface this appears to be a good thing and certainly the Scriptures tell us to be wise about our situations (Matt 10:16; Heb 5:12-14).  However, it is all too easy for the judge to become overly critical.  John Maxwell points out that we judge others by how we perceive their actions, but we judge ourselves by our intent.¹  And there lies the rub, how could you possibly know another’s intent?  Jesus tells us in the sermon on the plain,

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.  Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.  Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.     Luke 6:35-38 (Emphasis mine)

This is a tall order, and the passage above is just after the notorious passages “do good to those who hate you” and “bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” and “turn the other cheek” and “takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.”  And perhaps the most renowned, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”  (See Luke 6:27-31.)  But it is possibly the next few verses, the verses that directly precede the verses emphasized above, which illuminate these passages with dazzling clarity. 

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' do that.  And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full.     Luke 6:32-34

Jesus is telling us He wants us to do better than an eye for an eye (Matt 5:38-48).  He wants us to love our enemies.  He wants us not to judge others, for with the same measure we judge others with we will be judged ourselves (Matt 7:1-2).  It takes God not to judge, to do good to those who harm us.  He continues on in both Matthew and Luke to speak about the speck in our brother’s and the plank in our own.  Luke also records the blind leading the blind and both falling into a pit (see Luke 7:39-40, Matt 7:3-6; 15:10-20). 

Think of it as the judgment trap.  You judge others and then you fall into the same pit.  The point is that no one but Jesus ever lived up to God’s holy standard, so when we apply this standard against our brother or sister (or enemy), we are setting ourselves up on a plain equal with God.  Remember this was Lucifer’s original sin.  Freedom lies in suspending what we believe is our “right” to judge.  Freedom lies in allowing the only true judge to extend us mercy at the same time as He extends (and expects us to extend) mercy to our enemies.  Let us not despise the goodness of God which draws men to repentance (Rom 2:4).  We must observe God is, again, not asking us to do for others what he has not already done for us.  We were His enemies when He decided to love us (Rom 5:10; Col 1:21)!  In other words, if God had decided to just judge us while we were still His enemies, He would have wiped us off the face of the earth.  However, He describes Himself as

“the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger , abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.  Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” Exodus 34:6-7

He is the great judge who will judge all things in due time. Vengeance is the Lord’s, it is His to repay (Rom 12:9).  “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy.  But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?” (James 5:11-12).  Let us be people like our God, compassionate and gracious, full of love and mercy.  Set yourself and others free, do not judge.  Break the judgment cycle, live in love!

Footnotes

¹ Maxwell, John C. Winning with People: Discover the People Principles That Work for You Every Time. Nashville, Tenn.: Nelson, 2004. 71. Print.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.